JP3419461B2 - Siren device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a siren or alarm device, and more particularly to a siren or alarm device usable in a vehicle security system.

The vehicle security system may have a siren activated by the system upon the occurrence of an alarm condition such as unauthorized or forced entry into the vehicle. Devices that drive sirens are typically configured to generate a predetermined siren signal with a constant volume and duration. The operating frequency of the siren can also be set, and in some cases the frequency is varied during the operating period according to a constant frequency or acoustic pattern.

It is disadvantageous to fix the frequency, volume, and duration settings because the regulations on the frequency, volume, and duration of the vehicle siren, which are set by local authorities, are different. For example, the maximum and minimum frequencies or main frequencies that can be used for signals generated by vehicle sirens may be specified by authorities. That is, different siren devices must be manufactured for each region, country or state according to the regulations of the authorities. In consideration of these regulations or regulations, the correct siren device must be installed in the vehicle, and attention must be paid to the region, country or state where the vehicle is expected to be used. However, this still does not solve the problem of owners violating local authority regulations when a vehicle siren is activated in a different region, country or state than usual.

According to the present invention, a control means for operating the siren sound generation means at a predetermined frequency based on the frequency control signal, and an input means for receiving the frequency control signal from the vehicle security unit and supplying it to the control means. An equipped siren device is provided.

According to the present invention, a control means including a microprocessor and an audio driver for controlling the operation of the speaker means in response to the data communication packet, and for receiving the data communication packet from the vehicle security unit and supplying it to the control means. Input means, the control means is connected to the vehicle security unit, a predetermined acoustic signal group is stored in the control means, and the control means responds to the acoustic control information included in the data communication packet. When one is selected from the above-mentioned acoustic signal group, and when the data communication packet indicates the alarm state, the speaker means is caused to generate sound according to the selected acoustic signal, and the data communication packet is not received by the input means. An alarm device is provided that is configured to indicate an alarm condition.

According to the present invention, there is further provided a siren device including control means for controlling the operation of the siren sound generating means based on the data communication packet and input means for receiving the data communication packet and supplying the data communication packet to the control means. To be done.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the siren device.

  FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the siren device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of voltage pulses for controlling an audio driver of a siren device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a frequency pattern for controlling the operating frequency of the audio driver.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a trigger signal of the siren device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a format of a serial communication packet used in the siren device.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing high and low bits of serial data of a communication packet.

FIG. 8 is a view showing another preferred embodiment of the siren device.

  FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram of the siren device shown in FIG.

The siren device 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a central processing unit (CP
U) 4, an audio driver 6 and a siren speaker 8. The siren speaker 8 is designed to generate siren sound in the frequency band of 2500 to 3500 Hz, but it may be designed to generate sound of other audible frequencies. The CPU 4 provides an activation signal to the audio driver 6 so that the driver 6 drives the siren 8 in response to the trigger signal received at the control input 10. The control input 10 is connected to the CPU by a serial interface 12. The control input 10 monitors the vehicle and identifies the occurrence of alarm conditions,
It can be connected to a vehicle security control unit for delivering the appropriate trigger signal.

The siren device 2 can be powered by the vehicle battery connected to the battery input 13, where the vehicle battery voltage is regulated by the constant voltage circuit 14 to supply the power supply voltage V _CC to the CPU 4 and other parts of the device 2. To do. The siren device 2 has a backup battery 16 for supplying the device with a power supply voltage V _CC when the voltage from the vehicle battery is disconnected. The backup battery 16 is charged by a battery backup charger 18 having a trickle charging circuit 19 and a quick charging circuit 21.

A power cutoff sensor circuit 20 is provided, which detects cutoff of the power supply from the vehicle battery,
This activates the siren 8. The power cutoff sensor 20 can distinguish between a slow discharge of the power supplied to the battery input 13 and a disconnection of the power. The key switch 22 allows the owner of the corresponding key to keep the siren device 2 on or off as required. The function of the audio driver 6 is stopped by closing the key switch 22. This allows the battery to be disconnected during maintenance or repair of the vehicle or siren device 2.

A backup battery monitoring circuit 24 is provided, by which the status of the backup battery can be monitored and transmitted to the CPU 4. Therefore, the siren device 2 can generate a signal indicating that the voltage from the backup battery 16 is insufficient. The siren device 2 also comprises an ignition interface 26 having an ignition input 28 for connecting to an ignition line of the vehicle. The ignition interface 26 is
It is possible to detect when the ignition voltage is generated in the vehicle and notify the CPU4. Thus, CPU4
Can selectively actuate either the trickle charging circuit 19 or the quick charging circuit 12 depending on whether or not the ignition voltage is supplied to the vehicle motor.

The audio driver 6 has the H-bridge transistor circuit shown in FIG. The circuit is activated by two voltage pulse signals of opposite polarities produced by CPU 4 at the respective inputs of transistors 30 and 32. As transistors 30 and 32 operate continuously in response to the opposite polarity pulses appearing at the inputs of transistors 30 and 32,
The bridge 6 can drive the input of the siren 8 between a high and low voltage range corresponding to the voltage of the vehicle battery. Therefore, the volume of the signal generated by the siren 8 can be controlled by changing the voltage pulse width for operating the audio driver 6. FIG. 3 shows a high volume voltage pulse signal 34 and a low volume voltage pulse signal 36 input to one of the transistors 30 or 32. The signal input to the other transistor 32 or 30 has the same waveform and synchronization, but the polarities are opposite. The operation duration or cycle of the siren corresponds to the time cycle of the voltage pulse signal supplied to the audio driver 6.

The operating frequency of the siren 8 for a given duration is also controlled by changing the frequency of the voltage pulses 34, 36, ie by changing the time period between successive high and low pulses which is the actuation signal of the driver 6. it can. The frequency can be continuously changed according to the frequency or the acoustic pattern stored in the CPU 4. The CPU 4 can store a large number of acoustic patterns selected so as to correspond to the frequency limit determined by the regulatory authority of each region, country or state. FIG. 4 shows three examples of acoustic patterns that can be stored in the CPU 4 and used. The first acoustic pattern 38 merely changes the frequency of the operation signal periodically between high and low frequencies. On the other hand, in the second and third patterns 40 and 42, the frequency of the operation signal changes more gently to the peak frequency. The acoustic patterns 30 to 42 cause the siren 8 to generate a unique siren signal.

The frequency pattern, the volume and the duration used by the CPU 4 when operating the audio driver 6 in response to the trigger signal are the signal received from the vehicle security control unit at the serial interface 12 or the nine connected to the CPU 4. It is determined by one of the states of the DIP switch 44. Table 1 below shows the commands transmitted to the CPU 4 according to the respective states of the switch 44.

The state of the first switch is triggered by the contents of the control data packet received by the serial interface 12 by the siren device 2 or by the trigger signal 50 or 52 at the control input 10 as shown in FIG. Is showing. If serial interface control is deactivated by turning switch 1 off, switch 2 activates siren 8
It is shown whether the CPU 4 is provided with a high trigger signal 50 or a low trigger signal 52. Control packet or high or low trigger signal 50, 52 received by serial interface 12
The ability to trigger the siren 8 is given by the purpose of enabling the siren device 2 to support various types of triggering methods used in the vehicle security control unit. The vehicle security control unit developed by the Applicant is capable of generating appropriate control packets to trigger the siren 8 via the serial interface 12.

The siren device 2 is configured to trigger the siren 8 when the control input 10 is disconnected or interrupted when the siren device 2 is in operation. If the control input 10 is interrupted when the serial interface control is inactive, the interface 12 will go high or low in response to the trigger signal 50 or 52, triggering the siren 8.
This further increases the certainty of the operation of the device 2. This is because in order to disable the device 2, the control input 10 is cut off and at the same time it is maintained in a low or high state to disable the detection of the voltage difference by the interface 12 and the transmission of the trigger signal to the CPU 4. It is necessary to become.
If the serial interface control is activated,
The reliability of the siren device 2 is further increased. In order to prevent the siren 8 from being triggered, the CPU 4 must receive control packets from the vehicle security control unit that interrupt the operation of the siren 8 without interruption or at regular intervals. The robber might be able to apply the correct voltage level to interface 12 when shutting down input 10,
For example, it is unlikely that the serial code of a control packet composed of 24 bits as described below will be input without fail so that the siren 8 does not operate at the time of interruption.

When a high or low trigger signal 50 or 52 is input to the trigger input, the duration, volume and sound pattern in the CPU 4 are determined by the states of the switches 4 to 9 shown in Table 1. The siren 8 continues to operate during the high or low trigger signals 50-52 until the predetermined alarm duration has elapsed.

When the dip switch 44 is turned off, the CPU 4 and the siren device 2 can be controlled by the 24-bit serial control packet 54 as shown in FIG. The CPU 3 uses the packet format 54 to receive commands from the vehicle security control unit at the control input 10 and also send information to the vehicle security control unit. The CPU 4 receives the control packet 54 from the vehicle security control unit every one second, and if no valid control packet 54 is received, the CPU 4 activates the siren 8. The information represented by each bit of the serial data packet 54 is shown in Table 2 below.

As mentioned above, bits 10 to 15 are used for alarm duration, volume and sound pattern selection. Therefore, the vehicle security control unit can select from four types of siren frequencies or acoustic patterns, four types of volume, and four types of siren durations as needed. Of course, if necessary, the options can be increased simply by increasing the number of bits used for the siren configuration and the storage capacity of the CPU 4. The choice in the final vehicle security control unit can be made taking into account many factors. If the onboard vehicle security control unit has a vehicle type, code or country code indicating the region where the vehicle is likely to be driven, determine the siren configuration based on that code. You can Alternatively, if the vehicle has a positioning system such as a global positioning system (GPS) of the vehicle, the vehicle security control unit may inform the siren device 2 of the current position of the vehicle based on the information provided thereby. It is possible to instruct to choose the most suitable siren frequency, duration and volume. The set of vehicle instruments also often has a vehicle type or country code, on the basis of which the security control unit of the vehicle can determine the correct siren configuration for the siren device 2.

The siren configuration data can be updated each time the vehicle security control unit communicates with the siren device 2 via the serial interface 12. The 4-bit address field allows the vehicle security control unit to address devices other than the siren device 2 via a single serial data bus. Data transfer is preferably 500 baud, in which case packet 54 is 48m
has a period of s. Therefore, each bit length is 2ms,
Pulse width modulation is used to code the individual bits so that the duty cycle determines whether the bits are low bits 56 or high bits 58, as shown in FIG.

CPU4 for detection of power cut by power cut sensor 20
The reaction can be activated or deactivated as shown in Tables 1 and 2. When deactivated, the vehicle battery can be shut down for vehicle maintenance. Battery input if activated
The sensor 20 detects the interruption of the power supply from 13,
And if the siren 8 is not ringing at that time, the CPU 4 will generate an appropriate activation signal chosen based on the current siren configuration, so that the siren 8 is activated by the audio driver 6. The voltage for the CPU 4 and other components is provided by a backup battery 16, for example a 7.2V nickel cadmium battery. The backup battery 16 also ensures that the siren operates at a given volume, frequency and duration by providing a voltage to the battery input 13 when the voltage supply is cut off and the siren 8 is currently operating. .

In order to prevent the voltage cut-off sensor 20 from accidentally triggering the siren 8 due to running out of the vehicle battery, input 13
The decrease in power supply voltage at is monitored. Battery input
When the voltage at 13 drops from 8 to 6 volts within 1 second, the voltage cut-off sensor 20 sends a trigger signal to the CPU 4. If the voltage drop from 8 to 6 volts takes more than 1 second, i.e. a slow battery discharge, the power sensor 20 does not provide a trigger signal to the CPU 4. In this way, the power cutoff sensor 20
Can distinguish between slow battery discharge and unwarranted battery shutdown.

The trickle charge circuit 19 supplies a trickle charge current to the backup battery 16 to charge the backup battery 16 without discharging the vehicle battery. The backup battery 16 is not overcharged by the trickle charging current and is safe regardless of the charging time. CPU4 inputs ignition interface 26 to ignition input 28
Is received at a high level, the quick charge circuit 21 provides a fast charge current. To prevent overcharging, the quick charge circuit 21 is deactivated when the backup battery monitoring circuit 24 detects that the backup battery voltage is greater than 9 volts.
Since the nickel-cadmium battery is not suitable for charging in a very high temperature or a low temperature state, the siren device 2 is provided with a temperature sensor and is configured to deactivate the quick charging circuit 21 when the sensor temperature is too high or too low. You can also do things. Then it is possible to extend the life of the battery, which is particularly effective in areas that are frequently exposed to very high or low temperatures.

The backup battery monitoring circuit 24 can detect when the backup battery is dead, that is, below 6 volts. The vehicle security control unit can also request a report on the status of the backup battery using bit 18 of the communication packet 54, in which case the CPU4 will cause the backup battery monitoring circuit to
Use 24 to run the battery up test. A load is applied to the backup battery 16 for 1 second, and the monitoring circuit 24
Use to check the battery voltage. If the backup voltage exceeds 6 volts, CPU4 reports via bit 18 that the backup battery is normal, otherwise the CPU reports that the battery is dead. Upon receiving a backup battery dead condition, the vehicle security control unit may, for example, be on the instrument panel.
Flashes the LED and issues a warning signal to the vehicle driver. The CPU 4 can also report information about the status of its components and inputs via the serial interface 12 using bits 19-23 shown in Table 2.

The alternative siren device 100 shown in FIG. 8 is substantially the same as the siren device 2 described above, but has additional features and omits other features of the siren device 2 as described below. .

The key switch 22 is substantially replaced with a backup battery enable circuit 102 controlled by the CPU 4. The operating circuit 102 is connected between the backup battery 16 and the components to which the voltage is supplied, and the siren device via the line 13 by the vehicle battery.
Activated when 100 is powered on. Siren device received via control input 10, for example during maintenance
In response to the command to deactivate 100, CPU 4 generates a signal to deactivate battery backup activation circuit 102, preventing backup battery 16 from applying voltage to device 100. This allows the device 100
It is possible to prevent the siren 8 from ringing due to power interruption to the battery input 13 when repairing or inspecting the. If you have serial interface control activated, you can use one of the bits in the control packet.
The CPU 4 can be instructed to deactivate the battery backup activation circuit 102. If the serial control is deactivated, the vehicle security control unit can send a series of coded high and low voltage signals at the control input 10 to the CPU 4. For example, when the user inputs a four-digit code, the vehicle security control unit recognizes it by putting the ignition key in and out of the ignition position of the ignition lock of the vehicle in a predetermined order.

If the serial interface control is activated, the state of the ignition line 28 can be monitored by the vehicle security control unit and can be reported to the CPU 4 using a control packet.
The siren device 100 may omit the ignition interface 26.

The siren device 100 further comprises a horn interface circuit 104 connected to the CPU. This circuit receives an actuation signal on the horn switch input line 106 from the vehicle horn switch. By connecting the horn interface 104 and the horn switch input 106, a horn is not required in the vehicle having the siren device 100. The actuation signal is provided to the interface 104 via input 106 by pressing the horn switch, and the interface 104
Instruct the CPU4 to access the appropriate acoustic pattern to replace the vehicle horn. The acoustic pattern is used by the CPU 4 to control the audio driver 6 to activate the siren speaker 8 to generate a vehicle horn sound, typically at a frequency of 450 Hz. By using the horn interface 104 and the input 106 and correspondingly changing the control software of the CPU 4, the manufacturer can save the cost of the vehicle horn and relay. As long as the vehicle battery power source is connected, the siren device 100 produces a warning sound in response to actuation of the alarm switch regardless of the state of other components.

Another aspect of the siren device 100 is a power supply filter 110 connected between the vehicle battery input 13 and the voltage regulator 14 to protect the regulator from transients and peaks at the battery input 13. The device 100 also has a non-volatile semiconductor memory 112 that can be used instead of the DIP switch 44, which can supply the CPU 4 with a command similar to the state of the switch according to the control sharing shown in Table 1. .

The backup battery 16 has two connection points shown in FIG.
Connected to 120. The backup battery operating circuit 102 has three transistors and respective bias resistors, and is configured to inactivate the supply of the input voltage to the voltage regulator 14 when instructed by the CPU 4. The trickle charging circuit 122 is located between the connection point 120 and the battery input 13. The quick charging circuit 124 has a circuit composed of a transistor and a resistor, which is shown next to the backup battery monitoring circuit 24 and the horn interface circuit 104 in FIG. The voltage regulator 14 and the memory 112 are standard products, for example, L49490N and ST93C06CM3 manufactured by SGS Thompson. CPU4 is a standard microprocessor, for example Motorola
There is a MC68HC05P6 microprocessor and the clock signal is from the resonator 126. The circuit comprises a temperature sensor circuit 128 for adjusting the level of the monitored power supply voltage Vcc delivered to the CPU 4. Adjusting the monitored voltage level prevents the CPU 4 from activating the fast charging circuit 124 when the sensor temperature is too hot or cold, for example above 65 ° C or below 0 ° C.

Since the siren device 2 can be connected to many vehicle security control units and can be easily configured with the DIP switch 44 or the serial interface 12 to generate a siren signal of a predetermined frequency, duration and volume, It is particularly advantageous. The configuration of the siren device 2 can be controlled entirely by the connected vehicle security control unit. That is, the status of the siren device 2 is reported to the vehicle security control unit as needed. The siren configuration can be determined based on the country or vehicle code that is written on the vehicle security control unit or known to other electronics of the vehicle. Further, when the vehicle has a position grasping system, the siren configuration can be selected based on the vehicle position, so that the siren regulation set for each local authority can be always met. The siren device can also detect improper disconnection and distinguish between a power shutdown and a slow power degradation.

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ identification code FI G10K 9/12 102Z (72) Inventor Scott Herbert Harding Victoria Croydon 3136 Richardson Road 6 (56) Reference JP-A-5-110573 ( JP, A) JP 4-119497 (JP, A) JP 56-34293 (JP, A) JP 4-317878 (JP, A) US Pat. No. 5012221 (US, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G10K 7/00 B60R 25/10 607 G08B 3/10 G10K 9/122

Claims (25)

(57) [Claims] 1. A control means for controlling an operation of a siren sound generating means at a predetermined frequency based on a coded frequency control signal, and the control by receiving the coded frequency control signal from a vehicle maintenance control unit. A siren device comprising an input means for supplying the means. 2. The control means has a predetermined series of frequency patterns, one of the series of frequency patterns is selected based on the frequency control signal, and the siren sound generation means is selected according to the selected pattern. The siren device of claim 1, wherein the operating frequency of the is configured to be selected. 3. By changing the operating frequency signal of the siren sound generating means in accordance with the selected pattern,
The siren device of claim 2, wherein the selected frequency is configured to change over time. 4. The input means further supplies a volume control signal and a duration control signal, and the control means controls the operation of the siren sound generating means at a predetermined volume for a predetermined duration. The siren device of claim 1, wherein the siren device is configured to control based on a control signal. 5. The siren device according to claim 1, further comprising power supply sensor means for detecting a power shutoff to the siren device and distinguishing between the shutoff and the slow deterioration of the power supply. 6. A battery means for supplying power to the siren device when the power is cut off, wherein the sensor means causes the control means to operate the siren sound generating means when the power is cut off. The siren device according to claim 5, which has been applied. 7. The battery means is charged with a trickle current when the ignition power supply line is in one state, and the battery means is charged with a relatively rapid charging current when the ignition power supply line is in the other state. The siren device according to claim 6, further comprising a battery charging unit for the battery. 8. The siren device of claim 6 wherein said control means is configured to perform an anomaly check on at least a portion of said siren device and to generate a report signal reporting the results. 9. A monitoring means is provided, wherein the monitoring means performs the abnormality test on the battery means, and when the voltage of the battery means is determined to be below a predetermined level from the result, the monitoring means performs the abnormality check. 9. The siren device of claim 8, wherein the reporting signal is configured to indicate that the voltage of the battery means is below a predetermined level. 10. The siren device according to claim 9, wherein the control means is configured to perform the inspection in response to receipt of an abnormality inspection request signal. 11. The siren device according to claim 1, wherein the siren sound generating means is configured to operate in response to reception of a trigger signal by the input means. 12. The siren device of claim 11, wherein the trigger signal comprises a plurality of predetermined data bits. 13. In actual use, at least one command signal is provided to the input means, and the trigger signal is any signal received by the input means in the absence of the at least one command signal. 12. The siren device according to claim 11, which has a good configuration. 14. The siren device according to claim 5, wherein the input means is connected to a vehicle security unit, and the power source is a vehicle battery. 15. The siren device according to claim 1, wherein the control means has a microprocessor and an audio driver, and the input means has a data interface. 16. The control means comprises a microprocessor and an audio driver, and the input means comprises a trigger input and a series of switch groups.
15. The siren device according to claim 1. 17. The method according to claim 1, wherein said control means has a microprocessor and an audio driver, and said input means has a memory means for storing a trigger input and configuration data. The siren device described in the item. 18. The siren sound generating means is activated in response to receipt of a trigger signal by the input means and occurs either the elapse of the predetermined duration or the absence of the trigger signal at the input means, whichever occurs first. The siren device according to claim 4, wherein the operation of the siren sound generating means is stopped in accordance with the turning direction. 19. The siren of claim 1, wherein the input means is connected to a vehicle security device configured to provide the frequency control signal based on position information regarding a vehicle on which the siren device is mounted. apparatus. 20. The vehicle security unit of claim 1, wherein the input means is connected to a vehicle security unit configured to provide the frequency signal based on regional information associated with a vehicle equipped with a siren device. Siren device. 21. The input means supplies the frequency control signal to the control means in order for the control means to operate the siren sound generation means at a predetermined frequency corresponding to the frequency of the vehicle alarm. A siren device as claimed in claim 1 which has horn means. 22. The siren device according to claim 6, further comprising a suppressing means for interrupting the operation of the siren sound generator when the power source is cut off. 23. A control means including a microprocessor and an audio driver for controlling the operation of the speaker means in response to the data communication packet; and the data communication packet received from the vehicle security control unit to the control means. The control means is connected to a vehicle security control unit, the control means stores a predetermined series of acoustic signals, and the control means stores one of the acoustic signals. One according to the acoustic control information contained in the data communication packet,
A sound is generated according to a predetermined sound signal to the speaker means when an alarm condition is instructed, and an alarm state is instructed when the data communication packet is not received by the input means. , Alarm device. 24. Control means for controlling the operation of the siren sound generating means based on the data communication packet, and input means for receiving the data communication packet from the vehicle security control unit and supplying it to the control means. A siren device, wherein the data communication packet comprises information about a frequency pattern of sound to be generated. 25. The siren device of claim 24, wherein the control means is configured to activate the sound producing means when the data communication packet is not received by the input means.